


please let me help you

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Blood Drinking, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-13 00:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11172771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: Rei grows weaker due to him not drinking blood. Wataru catches on to this and offers to help.





	please let me help you

**Author's Note:**

> hello yes this fic is 90% pure self-indulgence because I love watarei and also because blood drinking is one of my fave tropes
> 
> work title for this was "rei takes a fucking sip" but in the end that didn't even end up as the fic name

Rei has lost count of how much time he’s spent in the infirmary this week. He wonders if he cares about the numbers, but what he does care about is that he can’t go on like this. He stares at the ceiling, focusing on breathing. He’s nearing his limit, and the thought terrifies him. He’s only been able to avoid unnecessary questions so far because he’s always tired, always sleeping, always weak, and all that the people around him have seen this week is him being slightly more tired than usually.

Rei sighs and closes his eyes. He needs blood, but even if he finally gave in, there’s no way he’d have the strength to hunt, and the thought of asking someone he knows is repulsive.

He’s half-awake when he hears the door open, and pretends to be fully asleep. With luck, whoever enters the room isn’t here for him, but he’s not that lucky and soft footsteps approach his bed, stopping right beside him. Rei doesn’t recognise the footsteps or the sound of their breathing, and wonders what a stranger wants with him.

”Rei...” the voice that calls out to him is more than familiar, and Rei’s eyes shoot open. He stares at Wataru, but then relaxes. It’s not surprising that he couldn’t recognise his walking by the sound. Just because Wataru’s footsteps are usually as loud as his voice, doesn’t mean he couldn’t walk quietly. He’s an actor, after all.

”Hibiki-kun”, Rei greets, and Wataru smiles, but it’s one of those smiles he gives when he isn’t truly happy, and despite wanting to look away from him, Rei forces his eyes to stay on Wataru’s.

”You’ve spent a lot of time here this week”, Wataru’s tone is overly cheerful, and it makes Rei feel worse than a more serious approach would. ”Not that I attend class all that regularly, either, but… hmm...”

Wataru seems to contemplate on something, his eyes momentarily darting to Rei’s bedside table where lie an empty container of nutrients and an empty bottle of tomato juice. Rei regrets not having discarded them earlier, but he’s not sure he could’ve got up from his bed anyway.

”Oh, you know me”, Rei chuckles, trying hard to sound like he usually does. ”My old bones have been aching this week, it might be the moon phase, so I should be fine again after a little rest...”

”No”, Wataru frowns, and Rei’s heart drops at his expression. It’s been a long time since he saw Wataru wear anything else than a smile, and suddenly he knows the other boy can see right through him.

”No?” he throws back, not willing to admit his defeat this early into the conversation.

”The nutrients aren’t enough, anymore, are they?” Wataru asks, and Rei gets stuck somewhere inside his eyes, all-knowing and serious and beautiful. 

”We’ve been friends long enough for me to know that what you need is blood.”

”Should it be that easy, but I can’t drink blood”, Rei sighs. ”The taste of iron in it-”

”No”, Wataru says again, this time more sternly, but then his expression softens, creased brows smoothing. His voice is uncharacteristically soft as he whispers, ”you’ve always lied about that, haven’t you?”

Rei chuckles weakly – Wataru knows all about acting, after all, and while Rei could fool anyone else, it’s impossible in front of someone so skilled who also knows him so well.

He doesn’t give an answer, so Wataru sits down on the bed beside him, and without warning, places his hand on top of Rei’s. Wataru’s skin is warm and his touch burns Rei, who wants to withdraw his own hand, but is nailed in place under Wataru’s watchful gaze.

”You can’t go on like this. Please let me help you.”

Wataru’s voice is low and quiet and the words cause a shudder to run through Rei as he realises their meaning and finally understands what Wataru came here to do. Rei blinks, his eyes wide, and attempts to sit up, but finds he doesn’t even have the strength to do that. Wataru is gripping his hand now, and Rei swallows hard, finding that all words evade him.

Wataru is right, of course. Wataru is always right when it comes to Rei, but the thought of drinking the blood of someone he cherishes so much makes Rei’s head spin, and he has to close his eyes for a while.

Wataru patiently waits for Rei to calm down, but Rei doesn’t want to open his eyes because then he has to give an answer. If this is what Wataru came here for, he has already thought up counters to everything Rei could say, but Rei’s not ready to face that reality yet, and he definitely doesn’t want to think about what happens if Wataru gets his way.

But there’s a limit to how long Rei can make him wait, and when he opens his eyes to find that the other boy is looking at him with nothing but concern and care, he wants to close them again.

”If you’re worried about hurting me-”

”I am”, Rei interrupts before Wataru can finish that sentence.

”The pain of the bite can’t be worse than what you’re going through”, Wataru insists.

He’s right, again, even about a topic he knows next to nothing to. Rei knows that it only stings for a while, that his spit numbs the pain afterwards, and depending on the person, even makes the experience enjoyable. Rei, on the other hand, is only going to get worse if he doesn’t cave in, and this is a fact he can’t deny any longer.

Rei sighs and looks away. He’s too tired to argue about this, when there’s nothing more he could reason with.

”I’ll do it”, he says, and when he looks back at Wataru, his breath gets caught in his throat. Wataru is smiling again, but this time, it’s a rarer smile, one that’s bright like his usual smiles but also very, very genuine.

”Come on, then!” Wataru says, voice growing louder and more enthusiastic. He tugs his tie loose and opens a button or two to reveal more skin, and then pulls all his hair on one side of his neck, leaving the other side bare and exposed. Rei licks his lips, eyes fixed on that part of Wataru’s neck, where he can almost see his pulse thrumming under his skin.

Wataru leans down to get a hold of Rei, and pulls him up against his chest. He holds on to the back of Rei’s head, laying Rei’s face against his own neck, and Rei draws in a shaky breath.

He can smell Wataru’s blood through his skin and hear his pulse, growing faster. Wataru’s arms are now both enclosed around Rei to keep him in place, and when Rei slowly wraps an arm around Wataru, he can feel the other boy tremble ever so slightly under his touch.

So even Wataru Hibiki, with an extraordinary personality and extraordinary acting skills, gets nervous at the thought of being bitten by a vampire. This is oddly comforting to Rei. Wataru always puts on such an excellent show that often other people forget he’s human, too.

”Are you ready?” Rei murmurs against Wataru’s neck, and when Wataru swallows, Rei feels the movement against his own skin. Of course Wataru is ready, he’s been ready since he set foot in this room, but Rei still wants to give him a warning.

”Yes”, Wataru’s voice shakes a bit and Rei wants to pull away and just forget the whole thing, but with every inhale Wataru’s scent grows stronger and makes Rei’s head that much more hazy.

Rei moves his head just a little, his lips trembling as he searches for the best and safest spot to bite – and when he finally finds it, he wastes no more time and sinks his fangs into Wataru’s soft skin.

Wataru’s grip on Rei tightens before it relaxes, but Rei has a hard time noticing anything beyond the neck he’s biting into. Wataru tastes good, better than anything Rei has had in a long time, and he has to concentrate on not drinking too fast. He raises his other hand and lays his palm against the back of Wataru’s neck, desperately trying to pull him even closer even though they’re already pressed against each other, and Wataru’s hold on Rei tightens as well, his breaths shaky and loud and hot close to Rei’s ears. The rhythm of Wataru’s pulse is intoxicating to Rei, strong and fast, and Rei can hear it even louder than his own pulse.

Rei stops drinking, pulls his head away, and takes a few deep breaths. There’s a new strength flowing inside him, and he needs a moment to adjust to this new-found energy. After catching his breath, he puts his mouth back on Wataru, but this time he lays his tongue flat against the punctures he’s made, and begins licking at them slowly to keep them from bleeding further and to speed up their closing. Wataru gasps, his palms fisting to grab at Rei’s shirt, but he doesn’t move further.

Rei finishes cleaning the wounds and pulls away from Wataru. Both their grips loosen, but Wataru moves his arms down and rests his hands at the sides of Rei’s waist, instead. Rei leaves his hand at Wataru’s shoulders – that much is fine, yes?

”Thank you, Wataru”, Rei manages to say, and Wataru throws him a dazzling smile before Rei can even process how he just called him. ”Does it hurt anymore? If there’s anything I can do to repay you...”

Wataru shakes his head and chuckles.

”Rei, Rei… I didn’t do this to get something out of it. Seeing you in better health is all the reward I could ask for! Although...” with the last word, Wataru’s voice gets lower, and Rei swallows.

They’re still close, and Wataru is still breathing heavily, and from this distance, Rei can clearly see the flush on his cheeks. Rei quirks an eyebrow, and though he thinks he might regret it, asks for clarification.

”Though?”

”Mm… I don’t know...” Wataru’s eyes dart from Rei’s eyes to his mouth and back up, and he’s even closer now, and Rei damns his heart for betraying him and starting to beat faster. Their current situation leaves no more room for guesswork.

”My lips are bloody”, Rei protests, casting a quick glance at Wataru’s lips in turn, wondering what they’d taste like.

”Is that your only concern…?” Wataru murmurs. It’s unfair of him to use that voice, when he usually speaks so loudly.

”Yes”, Rei admits, leaning just a little closer himself. He can’t deny having dreamt of a moment like this, though never in the context of Wataru having just shared his blood with him.

Wataru doesn’t say another word, and instead, closes the distance between them. His lips are soft and warm, like all of his skin, and Rei moves his own lips against Wataru’s, hungry for more. He’s got a taste and he’s a little bit drunk on Wataru’s blood and the warmth of his body is so inviting, so Rei moves in closer, leaning his body against Wataru’s and tilting his head up. Wataru’s small gasp of surprise against Rei’s mouth is delightful.

After they pull away, both out of breath, all Rei can see is Wataru’s excited smile and the way his eyes are shining. Wataru throws himself at Rei, burying his head in Rei’s chest, and then he laughs, a sound much brighter than his usual chuckle.

”Why have we never done this before?” Wataru asks, his voice partly muffled against Rei’s shirt.

”I thought you didn’t… well...” Rei tries to find the right words. ”You were just too bright for me.”

”Too bright”, Wataru repeats, his voice breaking into laughter again. ”That’s the worst excuse I have ever heard, and I work in theatre!”

”Well, my apologies”, Rei huffs, wrapping his arms around Wataru’s shoulders. ”I...”

When Rei goes quiet, Wataru stops laughing and tilts his head slightly to look at Rei’s face. Rei absentmindedly starts playing with Wataru’s hair as he collects his thoughts.

”I thought it might ruin our friendship”, he finally admits, and Wataru smacks his head back against Rei’s chest.

”That is a terrible, terrible cliche, Rei!” he shakes his head furiously. ”One kiss can’t break a friendship as deep and powerful as ours. In fact, it might only make it stronger!”

”Hmm”, Rei hums, ghosting his fingers on the back of Wataru’s neck. ”What about two?”

Wataru’s head perks up, his eyes glinting.

”We may have to test that”, he almost whispers, and straightens his back. Rei brings one hand to cup Wataru’s cheek, runs his fingers along the curve of his jaw, and gently tugs at his lower lip with his thumb.

”My lips are bloody”, Wataru notes, but he’s smiling, and Rei wonders if he’s ever seen anything as beautiful as that smile.

”That’s hardly a concern”, Rei laughs, before removing his hand and capturing Wataru’s lips with his own.

**Author's Note:**

> I was. super nervous about posting this because I've literally never published a fic before. but maybe this is my first step into a bigger world.
> 
> I have a few more ideas but this was number one on my list of "specific fics I want to read but no one's written so I guess I'll have to write them myself"


End file.
